WDW Restaurant Health Inspections

[jsilvers]

A podcast mentioned that the Florida Department of Professional And Business Regulation not only inspects restaurants, but makes the results available online. It took a bit of digging, but I have located the spreadsheets that cover WDW (http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/sto/file_download/hr_food_service_inspection.shtml). For those who may be interested, the following WDW restaurants have had warnings issued since July 2008:

• Banquet Kitchen (Epcot) – inspection on 11/14/08 found 6 critical and 6 noncritical violations – warning issued – subsequent inspection on 11/17/08 found violations corrected
  
  
• Benihana Japanese Steak House (Hilton) – inspection on 11/6/08 found 9 critical and 5 noncritical violations – warning issued – subsequent inspection on 1/7/09 found violations corrected
  
  
• Big River Grille & Brewing Works (Boardwalk) – inspection on 12/2/08 found 7 critical and 8 noncritical violations – warning issued – administrative complaint recommended (which appears to be the DPBR way of saying that the problems are serious enough that more than a follow-up inspection is required)
  
  
• Bongos Cuban Cafe (Downtown Disney) – inspection on 11/3/08 found 18 critical and 4 noncritical violations – warning issued – subsequent inspection on 1/5/09 found violations corrected
  
  
• Cirque de Soleil Cafe (Downtown Disney) – inspection on 3/12/09 found 3 critical and 1 noncritical violations – warning issued
  
  
• Lakeview Restaurant (Regal Sun) – inspection on 7/11/08 found 19 critical and 22 noncritical violations – warning issued – subsequent inspection on 7/21/08 found violations corrected
  
  
• Rainforest Cafe Bar (Animal Kingdom) – inspection on 9/18/08 found 2 critical and 1 noncritical violations – warning issued
  
  
• Stage Pizza (Pleasure Island) – inspection on 7/28/08 found 3 critical and 1 noncritical violations – warning issued – subsequent inspection on 9/30/08 found violations corrected
  
  
• T-Rex Cafe (Downtown Disney) – inspection on 11/6/08 found 2 critical and 0 noncritical violations – administrative complaint recommended (which appears to be the DPBR way of saying that the problems are serious enough that more than a follow-up inspection is required)
  
  
• Trader’s Island Grill (Best Western) – inspection on 1/15/09 found 14 critical and 6 noncritical violations – warning issued

After digging through DBPR guidance materials, it appears that the “critical”/”noncritical” distinction is misleading – some “noncritical” factors are actually more important than “critical” factors. This may explain why the restaurant with the most violations noted – the Lakeview – received only a warning, while the restaurant with the least – T-Rex – appears to be in a certain amount of trouble.

Interestingly, most if not all of these restaurants (who runs the Epcot banquet kitchen?) are operated by vendors and not by Disney.

 

[Belle5]

How interesting!

 

[bomzar]

The State Health Dept has a website that lists the last 3 years of health inspections for any restaurant in the state. As far as the Critical/Noncritical violations; you can't go by just how those sound, you have to look at what the actual violation was. There are a lot of things that are considered "critical" violations that the average person wouldn't even realize. Ex: if the plastic gauge on any of the fire extinguishers is chipped or cracked, that's a critical violation. If the inspector finds 1 dead housefly in the restaurant, that's a critical violation. Granted, most of the things considered critical are, but there's a lot that don't have anything to do with the actual food or sanitation. I'm more concerned with knowing the restaurant had food in the cooler that was out of temp rather then a dusty AC in the storeroom. If an actual warning is issued though, that's really bad!

 

[Tiger926]

The State Health Dept has a website that lists the last 3 years of health inspections for any restaurant in the state. As far as the Critical/Noncritical violations; you can't go by just how those sound, you have to look at what the actual violation was. There are a lot of things that are considered "critical" violations that the average person wouldn't even realize. Ex: if the plastic gauge on any of the fire extinguishers is chipped or cracked, that's a critical violation. If the inspector finds 1 dead housefly in the restaurant, that's a critical violation. Granted, most of the things considered critical are, but there's a lot that don't have anything to do with the actual food or sanitation. I'm more concerned with knowing the restaurant had food in the cooler that was out of temp rather then a dusty AC in the storeroom. If an actual warning is issued though, that's really bad!

This is very true. I come from a restaurant family, and so things that have nothing to do with food, such as where menus are placed on counter, for example, could be considered a health code violation. As stated, most of the critical issues are very important, but again, there are other issues besides food safety and cleanliness that fall into these categories. The most important thing is this: Keeping cold foods cold, and hot foods hot. This is the mantra that our Health Unit preaches over and over again for food safety issues. The fact that Disney has a ton of buffets, which are usually problematic, and they aren't on the list, is very good for them.

I am very impressed with this list since there isn't one in-park restaurant on that list (except for Epcot's banquet kitchen, but that is for special events only), and many of them are restaurants that are not run by Disney.

Looks like Disney is doing well in this area. Thanks, Tiger

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I'd just like to point out that many of these are not WDW restaurants. Instead, they are privately owned, off-property, or at a resort not owned by Disney. I have visited a large majority of WDW restaurants. Please don't let this taint your views or decisions to eat on property.

 

[Tiger926]

I'd just like to point out that many of these are not WDW restaurants. Instead, they are privately owned, off-property, or at a resort not owned by Disney. I have visited a large majority of WDW restaurants. Please don't let this taint your views or decisions to eat on property.

I already mentioned this in my post above - I would hope that this wouldn't taint anyone's views of eating at Disney, and in fact, it should reinforce how good they are doing with their own in-park/resort restaurants.

Not many people have responded to this thread, so I don't think it's going to have an effect on many people at all.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The only one on the list that is owned and operated by Disney is the Epcot Banquet kitchen, which is used for Special Events or for convention catereed meals.

The nine others are not under Disney's direct control.

 

[PrincessMama605]

I have worked in several restaurants and most of them got way more violations during health inspections. Most of these were things that the average person wouldn't care or even think about.

Sort of OT but not too long ago a very popular local Chinese buffet here got numerous health code violations on an inspection. Several of them had to do with dead roaches near food prep areas and in server stations. Someone got a hold of the report and leaked it in an email. Needless to say, there was a lot less business in there after that.

 

[disnut8]

Unfortunately, when the majority of people see "health code violations" and then a restaurant name in the same sentence, that's all they read. There's not a lot of people who continue on to see the actual "violations" or if they do read them, what those violations mean.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I have visited a large majority of WDW restaurants. Please don't let this taint your views or decisions to eat on property.

1) Have you gone backstage at the eateries, or just visited them.
2) There are eateries at WDW which I do not patronize due to backstage visits.
3) The view from backstage can be an eye-opener and mouth-closer. *


* Mouth-closer in that "there ain't no way that food is gonna pass these lips and into this mouth".

 

[BreTyPres87]

This is very true. I come from a restaurant family, and so things that have nothing to do with food, such as where menus are placed on counter, for example, could be considered a health code violation. As stated, most of the critical issues are very important, but again, there are other issues besides food safety and cleanliness that fall into these categories. The most important thing is this: Keeping cold foods cold, and hot foods hot. This is the mantra that our Health Unit preaches over and over again for food safety issues. The fact that Disney has a ton of buffets, which are usually problematic, and they aren't on the list, is very good for them.
I am very impressed with this list since there isn't one in-park restaurant on that list (except for Epcot's banquet kitchen, but that is for special events only), and many of them are restaurants that are not run by Disney.

Looks like Disney is doing well in this area. Thanks, Tiger

YES!!! I have a culinary background and buffets are a nightmare for a culinary manager or chef and a dream for a health inspector trying to find some violations, keeping food to temp on a buffet line is tricky especially with certain items and like you said the fact that Disney has so many buffets and not one had violations speaks very highly of their culinary teams knowledge of food safety

 

[hulagirl87]

I think if anyone really ever stopped to think about what really goes on in the kitchen or behind the scenes of a restaurant, how many people touch your food, no one would ever go out to eat.

 

[sallyannlace]

We visitied Disney a couple weeks ago and our food at Yahtsmans came out cold. We had tasted our food, and they took it back. It came back like rubber. The actually had put it back on the grill with other peoples food and reheated it. We were told by the manager it is not against health regulations in florida. I would have thought that this process could make someone very ill. Also, if you order a wedding cake through Disney, they do not have a means to refrigerate it. If you have a filling that needs to be refrigerated, the cake will be transpported in someones car or truck. Sounds gross to me. This cook make someone very ill.

 

[vicki_c]

What is with the zombie threads this week - and all being pulled up by new and suspicious sounding posters? This is almost 3 years old.

 

[Belle5]

What is with the zombie threads this week - and all being pulled up by new and suspicious sounding posters? This is almost 3 years old.

vicki_c....I noticed the exact same thing...